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04 September 2012

Terrarium Craft: Timber Tuesdays (1)

NITE LITE NON-FICTION

Introducing a new feature!

From now on, Alethea will be highlighting Timber Press books on Tuesdays.

I confess: after downloading the review copy on Netgalley, I placed an order for my own copy straight away. Amy Bryant Aiello owns Artemisia, a store that sells terrarium supplies as well as teaches workshops on how to put them together. Kate Bryant is an author and contributes articles about plants and gardening to publications like Portland Monthly. Together they have created a great beginner's book that includes great inspirations for designs that appeal to a modern aesthetic. It also includes resources and suggestions for finding containers and materials to make your own tiny green wonderlands.

As someone who has tried and failed to keep even the simplest, pre-grown bonsai alive, I have to say terrariums are slightly less intimidating. There's something so accessible about the instructions in this book (though I haven't yet read another upcoming release, Keshiki Bonsai, which might do the same for those tiny trees I dread) that makes me feel like I could try one without disastrous results.

While the trend is turning up everywhere from newspapers to hipster DIY forums, it's easy for erstwhile newbies to turn a simple project into an expensive eyesore, especially when it involves living things. I highly recommend that if you get this book, you attempt to follow at least a couple of the projects to the letter rather than just getting all creative from the get-go. The book contains great advice to get the chemistry and biology of your terrarium right so you don't end up with goopy plants or worse, like gnats or mold. Ugh!

This book has gorgeous photos and great information. My only criticism would be that some of the spreads don't quite make sense, but it's only two out of fifty that give me this impression, so I still give the book 4 stars out of 5.

To get a feel for what Amy and Kate's projects are like, check out this one they shared with Make magazine. Better yet, win a copy of their book right here! The giveaway is open internationally wherever bookdepository.com delivers. Good luck!

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